Archive for the ‘Food’ Category

Mountain Sushi Japanese Restaurant

In the old Subway building in Eureka Springs a new Japanese Restaurant has opened serving Asian Fusion Japanese cuisine. The restaurant is Mountain Sushi and it has quickly become one of our favorite lunch places. The other night we decided to try dinner. We started with an Asparagus and Guacamole Roll and OMG, what a mouthful of flavor. We had Chicken Tempura and Chicken Tempura Fajita for our main entrees and found them to be excellent.

We’ve tried a number of other dishes for lunch and have not found one we didn’t like.

This weekend I was presented the challenge of making cinnamon pancakes with no gluten, no milk and no eggs for a guest at our bed and breakfast who required a gluten free and lactose free diet. This was a great opportunity for me to try modifying one of my favorite pancake recipes to see how it would work and I wanted to pass it along to anyone who might want to try it.

At our Eureka Springs Bed and Breakfast we love to serve our guests dessert for breakfast and we wanted to share our Moist Chocolate Pistachio Cake recipe with you. It’s one of our favorites and we’ve found if you slightly heat the cake before serving, it adds a subtle richness to the taste.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

1 package plain white cake mix; (18.25 oz)

1 package pistachio instant pudding mix; (3.4 oz)

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup water

1/2 cup vegetable oil

4 large eggs

1/4 cup cocoa powder; (we use Wilbur Chocolate)

vegetable oil for misting pan

flour for dusting the pan

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly mist a 12 cup Bundt pan with vegetable oil, then dust with flour. Shake out the excess flour. Sprinkle the pecans and chocolate chips evenly in the bottom of the pan. Set the pan aside.

Place the cake mix, pudding mix, sugar. water, oil and eggs in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 1 minute. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes more. The batter should look thick and smooth. Remove 1 cup of the batter to a small bowl. Mix the Wilbur’s Cocoa into the small bowl and stir until the mixture is well combined. Set aside.

Pour the remaining batter into the prepared pan. Pour the chocolate batter over the top, trying to keep the chocolate batter away from the edges of the pan. Swirl the chocolate batter into the white batter using a dinner knife. Place the pan in the center of the oven.

Bake the cake until it is golden brown and springs back when lightly pressed with your finger, 55 to 60 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and place it on a wire rack to cool for 20 minutes. Run a long, sharp knife around the edge of the cake and invert it onto a rack to cool completely, 20 minutes more.

Optionally, pour some chocolate sauce over the cake.

Yield: 16 servings
Cook Time: 60 minutes

The next time you make it to Eureka Springs, AR for a getaway let us know if you’d like us to serve this fabulous cake for breakfast. Also, we have tried a lot of chocolate deserts at many of Eureka Springs’ restaurants, so when you are here relaxing, ask us to lead you to some great chocolate treats.

This shop quietly opened up a few months ago here in Eureka Springs and has become a big hit with locals and tourists. Imagine a tasting room with about 50 small stainless steel containers filled with infused olive oils and balsamic vinegars. Next to each offering are small tasting cups as well as bread croutons for palate cleansing between tastings. Maybe there’s no swishing but there is definitely some lip smacking going on. They have also showcased some fantastic combinations of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Our favorite is Organic Persian Lime infused olive oil paired with a Blackberry-ginger Balsamic vinegar. We especially love it on our salads.

Richard has been using the Organic Herbes de Provence infused olive oil for his Broiled Parmesan tomatoes. He also drizzles some over pan-roasted chicken just before serving. The flavor just bursts in your mouth. He says that for the most intense taste use the infused olive oils as a finishing sauce as heat tends to moderate the flavors.

The store offers a variety of different olive oils from mild to robust, as well as 17 different oils infused with herbs and fruits. There is even a Chipotle infused oil for those who like a little heat. There are 19 different flavored balsamic vinegars like Wild Blueberry, Cinnamon Pear, Honey Ginger, Vermont Maple, Blood Orange and for you spicy fans, a Jalapeno.

The folks at Fresh Harvest say, “Olives are fruits. We believe extra virgin olive oil is like fruit juice: highly perishable, healthier and more flavorful when consumed fresh and full of amazing nutrients. This is one of the reasons we post the Harvest Date on every Extra Virgin Olive Oil we offer. Fresh Harvest is committed to providing you with the healthiest, best products in the world at reasonable prices. Chase the Crush!”

So the next time you are in town stop by their store and tingle your taste buds. They are only about 5 minutes from our Eureka Springs bed and breakfast. Bon Appetit!

Our first experimental test for the Sweet Treats Cookie Tour began with Maida Heatter’s Chocolate-Nut Icebox Cookie. This is a easy recipe. The texture and the form of the cookie is very good, actually it’s excellent. As a matter of fact I feel that the texture improves the taste. My first batch of cookies did not produce a strong enough chocolate taste for me and I believe this is a result of the quality of cocoa used.

When I eat chocolate I want to taste the chocolate. I am going to try this cookie again, however I am now online figuring out how to place an order for Wilbur’s Cocoa. I have used their chocolate before and found that Wilbur’s produces a fantastic chocolate that delivers a chocolate taste like no other.

The next experimental test will be another one of Maida Heatter’s Chocolate recipes – stay tuned!

Richard’s response: I know that Jan said there wasn’t enough chocolate flavor for her, but I and two other tasters snarfed our way through a couple dozen of these cookies and found them delightful. Bring on some more Jan!!

It’s time for us to start thinking about our ‘Bed and Breakfast Inns of Eureka Springs’ Association annual Christmas Sweet Treats tour. Jan is scouting out all our cook books for special cookie recipes. She is really focusing on Maida Heatter’s ‘Book of Great Chocolate Desserts’. Me being the chocoholic, I’m not disappointed in her choice. Could this be a Julie meets Julia moment? I am wondering what great cookie recipe she will find, because you know how I hate being the one who has to taste all those experimental workings (sly smile now showing). Can’t wait for the taste tests to begin.

For the fifth year now, on Saturday, December 10th, our association will be putting on this event. Here’s what it includes.

We now have Keurig Coffee makers in all of our rooms. No more messy grounds or filter packs. Pop in a K-Cup and brew a great cup of coffee. If the two of you have different tastes, that’s no problem as we have regular and decaf coffee, flavored coffee and teas. Since these are single cup servings, each of you can choose what you want.

Also, we are doing some work on the Carriage House room, tiling the jacuzzi area plus some other upgrades that should make this room even more inviting.

This weekend Eureka Springs celebrated Fleur Delicious, a French themed weekend with a street fair atmosphere where the city and it’s lodging, retail/gift shops, spas, restaurants, bars, galleries and entertainment venues participated.

At 5 Ojo Inn Bed and Breakfast we served Crepes with Chive Scrambled Eggs, Smoked Pepper Bacon and Cheese Sauce on one morning, and French Toast a’ la Orange with Sauteed Orange Rum Bananas the other. It was fun experimenting with different things.

It had been a while since I made fresh crepes but after a few practice ones, you can get into a real rhythm swirling the pan to spread the batter.

We received the following post on our Facebook Page the other day. “We LOVED our stay at 5 Ojo Inn Bed and Breakfast and we can’t wait to come back with the in-laws! If you get a chance sometime I would love the recipe for those Lemon Ricotta Pancakes – my hubbie is already bugging me to make them!

— PANCAKE BATTER —
1) Mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
2) In a separate bowl mix together the egg yolks, oil, buttermilk, ricotta cheese, orange juice, lemon extract and lemon zest..
3) Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined.
4) In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until just stiff. Fold the egg whites into the batter until just incorporated. Let set for 10-15 minutes.

— LEMON SAUCE —
1) Combine all sauce ingredients in a medium sized non-reactive pan. Heat over medium heat stirring constantly until the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved on medium heat. (Stirring constantly will keep the egg yolk from coagulating).
2) Once the sauce reaches a boil, lower the temperature for one to two minutes. remove from heat and let set,. Keep the sauce warm over a very low flame or put in a pan of simmering water. keeping warm until ready to serve.

— PREPARATION —
1) Heat a thin layer of butter in a large skillet.
2) Ladle the batter into the skillet to form 3-inch cakes (use a 1 oz ladle).
3) Cook until small bubbles form and the edges begin to brown.
4) Turn and cook for 1 to 2 minutes longer, until just cooked through.
5) Drizzle each serving with two tablespoons of lemon sauce.

NOTE: To keep the pancakes warm until all are cooked, lay the pancakes out on a towel on a cookie rack in a warming oven (about 200°F)

NOTE: Fresh fruit on top gives a nice contrast to the pancakes. We also use a heated mixed fruit compote on them.

We wanted a new experience in coffee for our guests so we have begun putting Keurig Gourmet Coffee Brewers in our rooms. We installed the first four recently and so far our guests seem to love the brewers and the coffee they make.

But, there are over 200 kinds of coffee, tea and hot chocolate we can get. Wow, how is one supposed to try them all. We’d be bouncing off the walls if we did.

So, help us out! What are your tastes like? Do you like mild or strong brew coffee? Is tea your fav and if so, what kind? Do you like any particular flavored coffee? Let us know your opinions. Thanks!!

From Keurig’s website: “We believe that coffee should always be served fresh, just like a gourmet coffee house, wherever you are. Period.” Perhaps we’ll have our own little personal coffee house at 5 Ojo Inn Bed and Breakfast in Eureka Springs, AR.